What to Know
Since the show’s first season on Food Network, Duff Goldman has been a staple of Holiday Baking Championship, judging the contestants’ festive creations. But after the celebrity chef disappeared mid-episode last week with no explanation, fans are concerned about what might be going on with him.
And now that it seems that Duff won’t be returning for the rest of the season, the situation is becoming even more confusing.
Duff made a quick exit at the end of the December 8 episode.
As The Sun reported, just before the elimination was set to happen on last week’s episode of Holiday Baking Championship, Duff made an exit and wasn’t there for the final scene. Host Jesse Palmer cracked a joke about him leaving early to make it to a “Chrismukkah party,” but the real reason for Duff’s absence was never shared on the show.
It looks like he’s out for the rest of the season.
What’s even stranger about Duff’s disappearance? According to TV listings for the remaining episodes this season, not only is he not scheduled to appear, but he’s also been replaced as a judge. Stephanie Boswell ended up taking over for Duff for the semi-finals of the competition, which aired on Monday, and Zac Young is set to step in for him on the December 22 season finale.
This has left fans supremely confused about what’s going on, since Duff has been a mainstay of the show for the past 12 seasons. The Sun also reported that some fans have pointed out that having replacement judges lined up like this makes it seem like this absence was planned for, so why did it seem like it was so abrupt on screen?
So far, he hasn’t shared any details about what might be going on.
Duff seems to be posting on Instagram as if everything is business as usual, even after the episode including his departure had aired on Food Network. Everything seems good with him, so what’s actually happening behind the scenes?
At the end of November, he made a big announcement about his family: He and his wife, Johnna, are expecting their second child together! The couple is already parents to daughter Josephine, who will turn 5 in January.
Maybe he’ll eventually fill us in on what’s going on, but for now, we just hope he and his family are doing okay.
